Friday, October 12, 2012

A disturbing image keeps flashing before my eyes today, like it's haunting me or something. I keep seeing this guy in a suit and blue tie laughing ridiculously and forever interrupting and trying to talk over the guy next to him, who also wears a suit, but with a red tie. It's that gleaming smile that keeps playing over and over in my mind like a fever-induced freak show.

What was so unendingly funny? Even if he wasn't agreeing with Red Tie, that much laughter seemed really inappropriate for the occasion.

And what was with the gallons of water consumed by Red Tie? It appeared to me to be driven by nerves, as did the incessant laughter of his opponent. But, really, I find it easier to feel confident about someone who drinks lots of water (which could have been just because he was thirsty or had a sore throat, but even if it was because of nerves . . .) than a guy who sits there and laughs consistently throughout something as important as a vice-presidential debate.

On the other hand, I guess the laughter pretty much sums up the attitude of the present administration. They seem to have enjoyed making a joke of our country, the Constitution, our religious freedoms, and anything else they've been able to get their hands on the past four years.

It's definitely not funny to me. But I shall cast my vote with a smile on November 6.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

When it happened, I was in second grade and walking home from my friend's house (yes, I'm old enough that it was a typical practice for kids to walk to and from their friends' houses by themselves!). Suddenly, this boy, a third-grader (who seemed sooooo old and scary back then) jumped out of nowhere, grabbed me, and wrapped his leg around mine to trip me. I remember the green grass closing in on my face in slow motion until it blurred as my little glasses fell to meet it.

I. was. so. scared.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know why he hated me or wanted to hurt me. I barely knew him. I found out later what his problem was and it was something ridiculous. But in that moment, I had no idea if he was going to beat me up, or what!

With some threatening words I don't now remember, he ran back into his house, and I took off toward home, crying and looking over my shoulder every few seconds.

It was horrible.

That's the only time I can remember being physically bullied, unless you count the time a classmate dug her long, claw-like fingernails into my arm during P.E. because I did better than she did in the long jump. In college I had some seemingly close calls with, well, let's just say . . . overly-friendly . . . guys while walking to work or riding in claustrophobic elevators in downtown Chicago. Scary! I guess that's a kind of bullying, too. No matter how old you are, it's not fun.

How many kids over the years have told me they were/are being bullied at school, on the bus, on the playground . . . even at home? Too many! Some experience physical bullying, others are verbally abused or taunted, and still others suffer both.

Just recently a boy told me, "I don't want to learn strategies to deal with it. I just want it to end!"

I'm sorry, child, that it's not likely to just end.

I'm sorry that too many kids are taught by their parents that they are the center of the universe.

I'm sorry that too many kids are bullied at home and choose to be bullies themselves to cope.

I'm sorry that God has been "removed" from your school in an attempt to attract your focus elsewhere. Don't forget, my dear, that no one can remove Him from your life, your experience, your heart. You can choose to focus on Him if you wish! He's the One who can ultimately help you.

We've become such a bullying society. Good grief, if a celebrity dares to think on his/her own and support a political party other than the left, he/she is ostracized. If an African American dares to speak out against Obama's tactics, he/she is labeled disloyal. If a company espouses Biblical values, it must be STOPPED. Even some who supposedly act on behalf of God use their position in abusive ways.

On a personal level, people are bullied all the time. If you don't look, act, or speak the way we want you to, you can't be part of our group. If you are different, I will call you names, slander you behind your back, or physically injure you. Oh, and you just happen to be in my path when I'm in a bad mood--you're dirt!

None of it is right!

Jesus Himself was bullied like crazy! At first He escaped the physical bullying and stood up to the verbal. Oh, yes, Jesus could make those verbal bullies look really stupid! He was too loving to use the word "stupid" in His heart I'm sure, but they were extremely foolish and He exposed them for what they were. He loved them, even knowing what they would eventually do to Him, enough to show them the errors in their thinking.

But then, on the night of nights, that would change everything forever, He chose not to speak up. He chose not to escape the physical bullying. You know, the death that you and I caused Him to suffer. He had a purpose in this. And the bullies couldn't keep him dead. Nothing or no one could!

That was Jesus, though. There will never be another Him.

How do we help these kids who are being bullied and picked on right now? I'm not an expert, but one thing I know for sure.

Pray.

Pray for the victims and pray for the bullies. God can move mountains! He can do anything! He may have a purpose in allowing it to continue, or He may rescue immediately. But, whatever He decides to do, those kiddos need to be lifted up to Him by concerned Christ-followers.

It's easy to feel bad for the victim, but the bully is a victim, too. In some way, he/she is held captive by thoughts and ideas that are downright evil. These messages could be coming from anywhere--parents, movies, songs, video games, friends, etc. Kids don't have to look far to see (or hear) filthy lies. Even those who try not to will sometimes hear or see messages they shouldn't.

And they pay in some way.

We have little or no control over what other kids see/hear/do. But we can teach our own children to value others, to think of others before themselves, to guard their eyes and ears from all varieties of filth. We can spend lots of time with them and teach them how to put these things into practice. We can be vigilant in guarding their time, so that they are not stretched out too thinly with activities, without enough time to be studying God's word and learning important virtues.

What if your child is the victim? It's so hard to know the answer to that! The "pat" answers don't seem to work in real life. Again, I would begin with prayer. It sounds trite, I know. But just because it's so familiar to a lot of us, let's not set it aside like a B-list option. Prayer is powerful! Maybe this is where you will re-experience the power of prayer! What better thing can we do than to place our children in the palm of His hand, asking Him for wisdom to know what to do or how to advise them? He tells us He will give us wisdom if we ask for it in faith:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6

I would also suggest really listening to the child and seeking help where it may be found. Again, I'm no expert, so I'm not going to attempt to give definitive answers here. There are so many situations that are different from each other. But find someone you trust, someone who will speak in Truth rather than simply in secular terms. Kids are being educated in secular "character" or anti-bullying at school. While there may be helpful suggestions to be found there, the root of the problem is so much deeper than that. Seek Godly counsel!

Oh, Lord, help these hurting children! And please help us as parents to teach our children well!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Do you ever just know God wants you to do something? That's how it was for me yesterday. I just knew Little Mister and I needed to plan an impromptu, simple celebration of our appreciation for Kevin.

I did not feel well. I did not have any fancy ideas. I did not have special ingredients in the house to make a spectacular dinner. My child was being extremely disagreeable at first in the morning. I kinda wanted to postpone what the Lord was impressing upon me to do.

But it was one of those things that just wouldn't be ignored.

So, I pulled myself together, managed to deal patiently with Dear Son until he turned his day around (oh, thank You, Lord, for answering my prayers by working in me and in him so powerfully when we both needed an attitude adjustment!), told Dear Son what we were going to do, and we enthusiastically planned.

We don't look exactly like this! ;)

Kevin is a great husband and dad. He deserves (and perhaps your man does, too?) to know he's appreciated. He prays with us first and last thing of every day (and often in-between, too), is a diligent spiritual leader in our home, works long hours to provide for us, helps many people in many ways, serves faithfully at church, is loyal, faithful, and loving. Just to name a few admirable traits. ;)

The first thing Dear Son and I decided to do was to each write Kevin a letter to express our gratitude, love, and appreciation. DS decided to make a card and to include his own original poem about his dad. I was seriously choked up as I read my 10-year-old son's tribute to his "papa" ("papa" is pronounced with a French accent, for whatever reason! lol). (Oh, and I have his and Kevin's permission to publish this). :)

A man at the test A man in the field He has the guts To God he will yield

He is my papa He is the one I cherish always

He has what it takes
To stand and fight

I want to follow
I want to give
If I were God,
And I think He would agree,
I would say,
"Well done good and faithful servant
You have given your son
All he could want.
Love, patience, kindness,
And most of all, understanding."

Then we planned and cooked dinner. We haven't been eating desserts or sweets at home unless we have company or something, but we decided since it was a special occasion, we'd break the rule and make one of Kevin's basic favorites--brownies. I found a recipe online that made just a small pan, and that was perfect. While those were baking and cooling we made a spinach salad that Kevin loves (actually, so do I, and DS likes it.) and this Pinterest recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry that we all enjoy.

Nothing fancy. But served with love and special admiration!

When Kevin came home, we shouted, "Happy Man of the House Day!" He was surprised and touched and enjoyed our efforts.

Incidentally, "Man of the House Day" was the only name we could seem to come up with. We couldn't call it Husband or Daddy because neither of those applies to both of us, and DS doesn't call Kevin, "Kevin." There probably is a better name out there, but it did not reach out and grab us, and my feverish mind was not up to searching for it overly long! ;)

I don't know that this will be an annual thing, or more or less than once a year. I just know that yesterday it needed to be done. As I cleaned up the kitchen after our celebration, feeling like I absolutely couldn't stand up another minute (I've been quite sick the last several days, and, though I'm on the mend, I don't have my strength back yet! This was a nasty one!), I thought about the look in my husband's eyes when he read our notes and ate those brownies, and knew I couldn't and wouldn't and shouldn't have chosen any other day to celebrate who and what he is to us. :)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Bible is where it's at. It's where all the answers are . . . every single thing of lasting importance that we need to know during our life here on earth can be found in this living and breathing book!

Kay Arthur

But we need to be students of it to really understand what it says, of course, and I am a long-time fan of Precepts Bible studies. The wise and gifted Kay Arthur heads up this ministry, and she is a joy to watch and listen to on her accompanying DVDs. I've been attending the Precepts Bible studies at my church on Wednesday mornings for years, and, though circumstances are such that I can't attend this year, I am happy to be doing the study at home. Being able to discuss what I was learning and hear the DVDs was icing on the cake, but at least I have the cake itself this year! :)

This semester's study is on the first part of John. And guess what I discovered through some other ladies in the Precepts Bible study? Precepts now has Bible studies for kids! The series is called Discover 4 Yourself, and I am just delighted with the one I purchased for Little Mister to do. The extra-cool thing is that he's doing the one on the first part of John, too. This should make for some interesting discussion right here at home! :)

What I love about Precepts, for adults and kids, is that they take the inductive approach. They show you how to let Scripture interpret Scripture, rather than allowing your preconceived notions taint the interpretation. Here's the simple explanation of inductive study that is in the LM's kids' study:

When you study something inductively, it means that you look at it very carefully so that you can discover for yourself what it is or what it means. In other words, you don't just take someone else's word for it or go ask an expert. It means you begin by trying to figure it out for yourself.

It's not that other sources, like commentaries, are never used, but they are used after thorough study of the Bible itself, and looking to see how the Bible as a whole helps to interpret the passage being studied. I love this because I so want to know what God has to say, even if that means I find out I've had wrong ideas about something. I'd rather go through the process of adjusting my thinking than to believe, and therefore live, a lie or a misconception!

One helpful (and fun, according to LM) part is marking key words in the passage, which is printed in the back of the book, with colorful symbols.

So if you have any 8-12-year old kids in your life, a "seriously fun" way to teach them Bible study skills is available here and here. There are about 21 different studies to choose from at this point!

I couldn't keep this to myself. I'm so thankful for those who told me about it! :)

Monday, September 17, 2012

A house is nothing to envy. Too many envied mansions hide cold or indifferent hearts living (or maybe not so much) together-but-not-together.

A house is nothing to miss once you or they have moved on. Walls don't really whisper.

But houses are often envied or missed. It's easy to do both. There's always something "better" we want. Always a moment elsewhere wanting to be relived.The truth is, though . . .A house is a shell.The people within are the home.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Saturdays at our house are typically a chance to catch up on things we didn't have time to do or finish Monday through Friday, like:

Sleep a little longer,

Take it at a slower pace for awhile in the morning,

Share a pint-size cuppa joe with Dad,

Finish science experiments,

Volcano--for some reason the black paint turned purple! :)

Volcano "erupting" with vinegar and baking soda. Totally fun! An ever-needed reminder for Mom that messes can be cleaned up, and that the mess-maker is only here with me for a blink of an eye.

Yard work. Today I did some weeding while the guys mowed and other stuff. I adore the chorus of distant lawn mowers, tillers, leaf blowers as I'm working outside. Takes me back to my childhood back yard for some reason. I know now it was an ordinary back yard like every other back yard, but at the time it was a magical playland.

It still chokes me up a bit to see my big boy mowing, even though it's not new to him anymore.

Maybe having some sloppy egg salad sandwiches for lunch,

On white bread (because a sandwich on white bread every now and then keeps us young at heart) and cut in triangles (because they taste better that way!).

Planning for the next week of school,

I do my planning on Grandma H.'s old drop-leaf table. It's so very old and loved and memory-inspiring.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

A letter from me to my "former self." I wish I could reach back in time
and hand myself this letter.

It's funny--I posted this letter and then found out about this link-up. :) God-thing, maybe?

Dear 1980s Laurie,

Grandma
H was right when she told you time goes faster, the older you are. I
know you'll believe her when she says that, but I urge you to do more
than just acknowledge what she says is true. No, I can tell you from
experience, you must LIVE like you believe her with all your heart. It
seems like yesterday that I was your age, but now here I am in my 40s! I remember when 30 seemed so old and far off. Now I'm more than a decade
past that. Redeem the time!

So how can an old lady of 40-something have anything relevant to say to you? Well, because I am you.

Stop
being so independent! Break that habit while it's still easy. Grab
hold of wisdom wherever it's offered (true wisdom, of course) and seek
it wherever it may be found. You have many wonderful people in your
life--some that you see every day and others who pop up here and there.
You may be well-behaved on the outside, but you have too much
stubbornness, pride and rebellion in your heart, where it counts. Yes,
dear, always remember that good actions with a rotten heart are as
filthy rags--useless, disgusting and not actually helping
anything/anyone.

Be
more than polite to those dear elderly people at church who always seem
to genuinely like you, despite the span of years between you. Do more
than smile and thank them for their notes of encouragement--ask them
what you need to know. When your parents are doing their best to
instruct you in the ways of God, don't be a putz and rain on their
parade. It's okay . . . no, it's necessary!. . . to have joy, even when
your heart is breaking. Please pay attention to this, young lady,
because this information is going to come in handy now, but even more so
in several years: Joy is a choice!! Happiness is not always a
choice. There are many factors affecting our happiness, or lack of it.
Happiness is an emotion. Joy is an attitude! Joy is a choice! It's a
matter of who/what you choose to rule over you: your emotions or the
Lord. You will need to learn, as difficult as it is, that you can have
the proper attitude of joy even when your world seems to be falling
apart.

Why?
Because it's not your world! It's not your life! You gave it to Jesus
when you were six years old. At the moment you believed, He sent His
Spirit to reside in you--don't quench this perfect gift! There are all
kinds of reasons for sadness, but your feelings don't give you an excuse to
rebel against God, or doubt His love for you, or retreat from life, or
treat people rudely. Joy, a fruit of the very Spirit living in you,
gives you the power, if you choose to use it, to wake up in the morning
and declare to God: "I feel rotten today and I barely want to be here!
That's how I feel! But I'm giving all I have to You for Your glory.
I'm going to do the best
I can do with what I've got to work with today. It might not seem like
I've accomplished much at the end of today, but I'm going to do
SOMETHING for You. 'Cuz it's all about You."

Now,
let's talk about your hair. I hope I've caught you before you dyed it
blond. Not that there's a thing wrong with blond hair but God did not
give you bleach blond hair! If you still choose to dye it, there's
nothing sinful about that. It's the discontent that concerns me. And
the time you spend feathering it every morning, only to spray that Aqua
Net on a style you're still discontent with. I wish I could tell you
things have changed. But, at the age of 40-something, only the actual style and
brand of hairspray has changed. Yes, it's good to look as nice as you
can, but don't make it the main focus!

And, um, you may want to lay off the blush a little! :)

One
"main focus" I want to warn you against is boy-craziness! Oh my
goodness! I know you well enough to know that you'll go bananas over
too many "cute"guys. You're too young! You don't have enough wisdom
yet! No matter what the songs say, a kiss is NOT just a kiss. Save
those kisses! It's so not worth it to waste them on toads disguised as
Prince Charming. There's only one Prince Charming for you, and God will
work wonders you can't even imagine in order to bring the two of you
together. He isn't who you think he is, by the way. You think you're
so sure, but you don't know ANYTHING yet! It's okay--just be so careful
to guard your heart. Don't compromise! I'll say it again: Don't
compromise!

A
few side notes. Get those Michael Jackson posters of your walls!
First, and most importantly, there really is no reason to have pictures
of someone you don't even know hanging on your bedroom walls, feeding
your idolatry (I know you're not worshiping MJ in the way you worship
God, but your fascination with him would be much better spent on the
Lord). Secondly, well, just wait until you see how his life turned out--and his nose. He had so much talent, but he wanted and enticed people to idolize him, and all he really ended up with was a shortened life. That seems to happen to a lot of
people, famous and otherwise. Don't go down that path!

You
know that blue and pink eyeshadow combo (from CoverGirl) that you love? Enjoy it while you can because you won't
be able to find it in a year or two. It's never made a comeback. Nor
have the headbands across the forehead. I've
seen a few leg warmers and turned-up collars here and there in recent
years, though.

Relax
a little. Listen a lot. Be an example and don't be ashamed of what
you believe! God does use you but He can use you even more if you'll
fully surrender to Him. Learn to do that more now, so maybe it will be
easier for you later. Surrender is so difficult. Trust is almost
impossible at times. Again, that's a matter of your will. I wish I
could say I've learned more in those areas by now. Help me out here!
ha ha

Your parents--well, they're just people. You count on them for everything, but they aren't perfect. You will still be imperfect when you're
their age. It's difficult sometimes, but don't harden your heart
toward them when they're doing things right, because of the pain you
feel from past imperfections. At your age, you need whatever Godly
guidance they are offering you. I can't tell you, young lady, how many
times I hear God talking to me through my own voice as I discipline and
correct your future son. Your parents are learning right along with
you. You're their first teenager, and it probably doesn't seem so long
ago to them that they were teenagers themselves. They have a big
responsibility. They're going to fail sometimes. But don't make it
harder on them by nurturing a bratty heart.You
know what Mom keeps saying, about your sisters wanting to do everything
you do, not because they're trying to bug you but because they look up
to you? I know you don't believe that for a second right now. But I
can tell you that it's true. I'm sure they don't consciously think,
"Laurie is so cool (that's the timeless way to say 'totally gnarly') and I want
to be just like her!" But they're watching and listening. They see and
hear how you are. Be excellent for them! Don't talk down to them!
Don't insult them! Stand up for them when they need an advocate, or
just a helping hand. When your sophomore sister slips and falls on the
floor at school, don't walk over her and continue on your way up to the
Cool Seniors hallway. You're going to have to make a quick decision at
that moment. Don't choose the way that will come back to haunt you and
cause you sorrow for years to come. You will feel great regret
for any mean thing you did or said to your sisters, who were looking to
you to be a good big sister.You
have mostly awesome times together with your family. Treasure this
time you have living together. It doesn't last forever. Thankfully,
your memories can!

Lastly,
your friends. You might be surprised at who is still your friend at
the age of 40, and who isn't. I'll leave that as a mostly-fun surprise,
but there is one thing I want you to know. You will have many
opportunities to make fun of other people and plenty of fuel for the
fire, in terms of others thinking you're so funny or even you thinking
you feel better about yourself at the expense of someone else. Don't
buy into that lie! Talk about more haunting memories! Just don't even
go there! God loves each and every person as much as He loves you. You
have absolutely no right to treat anyone with anything less than
respect and dignity.

Laurie,
you have a decently bright mind and are generally easy to get along with. Be smart about your smarts! Study well! Study God's word! Study
your academics! Study things like geography that don't get much
emphasis in school. You can study things other than just what's
required of you! And use your easy-to-get-along-with personality
wisely. Sway people in God's direction, rather than allowing others to
sway you. Don't be wishy-washy. Stand up for what's right!

I
do so wish I could literally give you this letter. There's so much
truth to the saying, "I wish I knew then what I know now." Not that you
should know what events will happen in the future, but to have the
wisdom . . . it's priceless! Maybe you wouldn't listen to the wisdom of
this letter any more than you listen to all the wisdom already around
you. That's the problem, isn't it? The wisdom is always there. I have
to make a choice to embrace it.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

No soul old enough to be aware of the world on September 11, 2001 will forget where he/she was when he/she heard the news. Who is capable of erasing the devastating televised images from his or her mind?

Something that horrific doesn't go away. It fades, but its presence is always hovering.

Everyone says they'll always remember and never forget. But what does that really mean?

Yes, we owe it to those who died, whether victims or heroes, to remember. To honor. To shed tears.

To never forget.

I wonder, though, what those people would tell us if they could whisper in our ears or write a message across the blue canopy of the world.

I think perhaps they would want us to do more than remember.

Maybe they would tell us . . . beg us even . . . to LEARN!

Learn from history! It seems when we look at the powers that be at this very moment, that we, our country as a whole, are not studying history and learning from it!

Would wisdom have us re-elect a president with known ties to an unapologetic terrorist, who from all appearances is doing his best to drive our country into the ground both financially and morally, who would appear to want to force us into socialism (when has this ever worked out well overall for a country?), and whose health care legislation allows 15-year-old kids to have irreversible sterilization surgery WITHOUT parental consent? What is wise about having a government that infiltrates every aspect of life, to the point of seeking to destroy the morale of business owners by telling them they didn't build their businesses?

This is not freedom! It's a submission of ourselves to potential future tyranny. Why would we do this to ourselves when we have a choice?

What difference does it make to remember if we don't learn as well?

If you are a Democrat, I'm not mad at you. I won't un-friend you (on Facebook or in real life). ;) As far as I'm concerned, if you are my friend, I love you for reasons that have little or nothing to do with politics, and I always will.

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or neither, I do encourage you (and I'm talking to myself here, too) to do your homework. To study the causes and effects of history.* To not allow stubborn pride to cause us to cling to anything that isn't right or beneficial for our country. To pray and ask God for the wisdom to know the right thing to do and the courage to do it.

Let's not help those terrorists finish what they started on 9/11.

*The revisionists' version of history will do us little or no good. Real history is what's true, not someone's made-up version of the truth. Generally speaking, the older the history source, the more accurate it is likely to be.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Don't you appreciate having someone who will just listen to you from time to time? I mean, just listen for awhile, without interrupting to tell you how you're wrong or to offer suggestions. Yes, a good friend will not allow you to wallow forever, but might sometimes just let you air your feelings before helping you to see things more clearly.

I've realized that kids need that, too, sometimes. My son needs a safe place to "vent" his frustrations and get his thoughts out in the open. Kids need that as much as we do at times! Of course, we mustn't tolerate or allow inappropriate behavior (temper tantrums, destruction of property or people, vicious language, etc.), but neither do we need to correct every word the second it comes out of their mouths.

There is a time for correction. After they've said what's on their minds. Again, appropriately!

I think I surprise my 10-year-old son when I just listen and acknowledge that I'm hearing what he's saying, but don't interject my commentary for awhile. And I've learned (notice the word learned--it's definitely taken awhile!) that when I just listen and let him talk, I find out more of what he's thinking and feeling--what's behind the anger.

As I mentioned earlier, there does come a time when it's his turn to listen. I try to sympathize where appropriate, but also hold him accountable for any faulty thoughts/actions/words of his own that contributed to the situation.

Prayer is vital in correction as well. Only God changes hearts. We want more than behavior modification in our children, right? God works through us in that, but only He can change their hearts.

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About Me

Welcome to my life--a work in progress, indeed! Pull up a chair, warm your hands around a cozy cup of tea, and let's visit awhile! If we haven't met, please introduce yourself. :) I'm Laurie, a child of the Almighty God, a wife and a mother--I do a lot of other things, too, but these three roles are the most important in my life. I am married to my best friend and I teach my delightful son, who is in sixth grade, at home. I love people and enjoy everyone's unique perspectives and reactions to everyday events, struggles and memories, so that's pretty much what I write about. :) One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 27:17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Old and new friends are always welcome here!